Ghost Bike by Salim Virji
This weekend we visited a bicycle store on a quest to find a bike to fit our rapidly-growing daughter. While there, I remarked to the guy behind the counter about Raleigh being named as a bicycle-friendly city.
It was news to him, apparently. I know I’m tuned in to what happens with Raleigh but I figured someone working at a bike store would know about the bike-friendly thing.
“Well, someone should tell the drivers,” he responded. “So many drivers in Raleigh don’t respect cyclists.”
It’s true, I thought. I have friends who are hard-core cyclists. They have had cycling friends killed by motorists who weren’t paying attention. It seems that at least once a year, someone on a bike loses a battle with a car or truck. Usually it’s the driver’s fault.
On Facebook this weekend, one of my friends was complaining about having to drive behind the gaggle of cyclists who were out riding in Durham on Saturday morning. His other friends chimed in about “getting 20 points” for each one. Sure, they were joking but it was anything but funny. These kinds of attitudes build up into real road rage when some simple courtesy would allow everyone to ride safely.
What makes some otherwise generous and thoughtful people become so angry upon encountering a cyclist? Why do some forget that there’s a human being on the bike? A mom, brother, or whatever?
Dude, just give ’em a wide berth and go back to daydreaming you’re Richard Petty. Just don’t go acting like you own the road because you don’t: you gotta share it just like everyone else.
One of the most telling things I’ve seen was while working as a SAG (Support And Gear) vehicle for the Tour de Cure bike rally was a vehicle that was actively menacing one of the cyclists right next to one of the Cary “Bike Friendly City” signs. This is why I generally only ride on singletrack. Drivers in our area cannot be trusted to look out for cyclists.